A Christmas For Snow
by SpiritGirl183
Summary: Christmas had always been a wonderful time of year for Farlo and his trainer Akira, and now that they are reunited he can't wait to celebrate it with her. As the day approaches, he and his friends begin to get into the Christmas spirit…all except Snow, who has yet to discover the true meaning of the holiday. Companion epilogue to The Story of Farlo.
1. Part 1: The Heart

***December 24th, 2013***

**Hello, everyone! In honor of my most successful fan fiction story on this site, _The Story of Farlo_, this is a short Christmas story featuring Farlo's companion, Snow the Glaceon. Just as the Christmas season consists of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so shall this story be published in two chapters on the consecutive days.**

**Fans of Farlo and those new to the story, I hope you enjoy this special!**

* * *

_**The Story of Farlo: A Christmas For Snow **_

_**Part 1: The Heart**_

Glittering snowflakes descended upon the city, blanketing the twinkling lights of the buildings in the soft white flurries of winter. The growing morning light illuminated the cloud cover in golden rays, and as the sun rose the city seemed to murmur and yawn as it, too, awoke for the day. Windows opened and the faint sound of music tinkled through the central square, where puffy-coated people shoveled snow out of the walkways while others spread salt on the cobblestones, revealing the beautiful pattern that formed the center mural of the square. Children's laughter echoed through the streets as they built snowmen out of the snowy piles in their front yards and occasionally smacked each other with snowballs.

On the rooftops, various flying-type Pokemon stirred to the sounds of the children, looking down and smiling fondly before stretching their wings and warming them up for a day of wintry flight. Most of them had shed their summer feathers and were now pristinely white, just barely outlined on the snow-covered chimneys and gables. Storekeepers let loose their Pokemon as they opened their doors for business, dark green wreaths and candy canes lining their doors and sitting in the windows. The smells of laurels and baked goods filled the air, permeating the wind with sweet scents and attracting the early risers of the city to their tantalizing goods.

Further down the cul-de-sacs of neighborhoods outside of the center square, the large estates and homes of the public officials were also beginning to awaken; gardeners shoveled driveways, housemaids beat rugs on the front porches, and chimneys puffed smoke heartily into the atmosphere to alert the world that the inhabitants were awake and ready to start the day.

Within one of these houses, a young girl's curtains shivered with a breeze, a stray snowflake blowing into her room and landing gently on her nose. Stirring from the cold, the girl opened her crystal blue eyes and looked at the wet spot on the tip of her nose, smiling sleepily and yawning before sitting up in bed. She spotted the open window, and sliding onto the wood floor she walked toward it, looking out into the cityscape and the white Christmas Eve morning. Akira Matsume sighed contentedly as she rested her elbows on the windowsill, taking in the smells of winter air and baked goods with a smile of pleasure.

A couple of windows to the right of Akira's, the same wintry breeze quivered another set of windowpanes. The cream-colored curtains behind said window parted to reveal a Glaceon; her paws pushed insistently at the glass until she heard a small _click _as they opened, and she relished the crisp breeze that tickled her face as she, too, rested on the windowsill.

Sighing, Snow smiled out on the world below her, so new and unfamiliar to her eyes that she almost couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. She had seen small towns and villages before, but they were nothing compared to the massive buildings and noisy traffic of this city. Not to mention the massive house she was staying in now, with all of its comfort and vastness.

After Akira had invited Farlo, Jet, Garrett, Maston, Charlie, Luke, Blaze, Lovell, Dott, and her to her expansive mansion for the winter season, the mansion had become a hive of warmth and activity; various housemaids were busy setting up big rings of pine boughs; the floors were swept, the windows washed, adorned with dark red curtains tied back with white bows. Snow could hardly get used to a cityscape, let alone all of the hustle and bustle that was going around.

However, what Snow took to be an odd time to remodel the house was actually the excitement of the holiday rush; Christmas was right around the corner, but to Snow, it was just another normal—if not peculiar—wintry day in December.

After another moment of sitting by the window, Snow hopped off the sill to face the other Pokemon sleeping in her room. At the moment the plush room, full of pastel pillows shaped like various Pokemon, was housing Snow and a few unfamiliar Pokemon that belonged to Akira. One was a Bayleef that was currently sprawled on her back on a Blissey beanbag, the leaf on her head blowing up out of her face with every soft snore. The other was a peculiar cat-like Pokemon that Snow had never encountered before, sleeping soundly on a dark blue Pokemon bed in the corner. Snow had been shown to this room when they arrived their first night, and while Snow found it odd that she was in a separate room from the guys she'd been traveling with for a long time now, she politely obliged.

A cool breeze blew through the windows, showering the room in a sudden flurry of snowflakes. The Bayleef's snores skipped and faltered, her nose crinkling with discomfort and her eyes blinking open. She shook a few stray flakes off her muzzle, looking at the open window.

"Morning, Snow," The Bayleef yawned, her voice hoarse with sleep. She shivered, standing and shaking herself; the flowery green buds around her neck rustled, and the scent of persimmon and oak leaves wafted toward Snow, immediately giving her energy and zest. The Bayleef shivered, walking past Snow toward the window; however, instead of moving to close it like Snow had expected, she instead took a deep, contented breath.

"I love the smell of winter in the morning, don't you?" The Bayleef murmured wistfully, turning around and giving Snow a smile. Snow returned it, still feeling a little shy around the new Pokemon. The Bayleef's name was Sunny, which reflected her bright and optimistic personality.

"I don't," a voice grumbled behind them. Snow and Sunny turned around to see the cat-like Pokemon sitting up on her beanbag, rubbing her eyes. She smoothed down the golden, curling fur on the top of her head, her white tails twitching as she awakened. Her red irises were dull with sleep, and she pulsed a calming psychic aura. Akira had introduced her to Snow as a Pokemon called Meowstic, but that didn't make her any less unfamiliar-looking.

"Aw, come on, Eve." Sunny chided, bumping her hip playfully on the Meowstic's as she stumbled out of bed. "You don't like _any_thing!" However, Sunny went back and closed the window anyway in consideration.

"That's not true," Eve countered, grasping her tails and looking down in embarrassment. "I like_ breakfast_. That's something, isn't it?"

Sunny sighed, stretching and puffing out her chest. "Mhm! I guess so! Speaking of, I could go for some Christmas pancakes right about now. You girls think Akira and the others are awake yet?"

Eve shrugged but smiled, and Snow hesitated before replying, "Probably. Let's go check the boys' room." She ducked quickly past the two girls, hiding the concern furrowing her brow. There was that word again: 'Christmas'. It seemed to be popping up everywhere Snow went these days, either appearing on banners throughout the town or floating in music through the hallways. Unfortunately, each new emergence of the word sprouted a new worry seed in her chest; just what was this 'Christmas', anyway?

Shaking her thoughts away, Snow opened the door to their room and peered out into the hallway. The carpet was as dark a red as the drapes, and currently being tread upon by a few maids carrying fresh linens or cleaning supplies, getting ready for the day. On the other side of the hall, Snow saw that the door to the boys' room was wide open, with the familiar hulking shape of a Swampert and Buizel chatting in the hallway.

"Jet! Maston!" Snow called, bounding down the hall with Sunny and Eve at her heels. She weaved around the feet of a few maids, making them stumble with their bundles and glare at Snow with annoyance before moving on.

"Snow! Good morning." Maston rumbled warmly; unexpectedly, he gathered Snow up into a hug, and she let out a wheezing 'hello' as she was crushed in his embrace.

After a few seconds of crushing her windpipe, the Swampert released her as she tried to catch her breath. He let out a hearty laugh. "Ah, sorry Snow. Forget my own strength sometimes." Maston flexed his muscles vainly, and beside him Jet rolled his eyes.

"I think she was just winded from all the ugly on your face." Jet teased, punching Maston in the rubbery leg. His fist bounced off Maston's skin, and Maston ruffled the fur on Jet's head playfully in response.

"Hey, Jet, Maston." Sunny greeted them. She knocked heads with Jet and gave Maston a high five with the leaf on her head, making Snow smile. "You guys heading out for breakfast yet?"

"Actually, we were! That is, if Charlie would just get his _lazy arse out of bed_!" Jet shouted the last bit over his shoulder and into the bright room behind him, where Snow saw the brown bare feet of Charlie the Infernape hanging off the side of a yellow couch. Charlie started, blinking his eyes open and rubbing them as he sat up.

"It's about time you woke up!" Maston added as Charlie shambled off the couch and over toward the group at the door. "We're starving."

Charlie rubbed his eyes and frowned grumpily at Jet, but his eyes sparkled with amusement. "It's not my fault I was kept up all night to the sound of, 'Tell me another story! Get me a glass of water! I can't sleep!' from Jet's little momma's boy." Charlie raised his voice to a high, squeaky pitch and clasped his hands to his chin as he did his imitations, and Snow doubled over in laughter at the look on Jet's face in response to Charlie's ridicule. Garrett, the young Eevee that Jet had rescued in the valley, still clung to him like a child, and according to Charlie he must have been an irritating roommate for the past few nights.

"Oh, shut up. He can't help it his sleep pattern's all off, he's in a new environment!" Jet protested, crossing his arms indignantly. However, upon realizing how motherly he sounded, his face turned a deep shade of scarlet and he turned his back in embarrassment to the sounds of his friends' laughter that followed.

A rustling sound inside the room responded to the group's laughter, and a brown blur darted out of the room and slammed itself into Jet's stomach, knocking him over.

"Speak of the devil…" Maston said, watching as Jet was lost in a smother of Eevee fur on the ground.

"Good morning, Mommy!" Garrett squealed, nuzzling into Jet as the Buizel attempted to stand up.

"Get your paws off me, Garrett! I'm trying to make a point!" Jet spluttered, scraping cream-colored fur out of his mouth as Garrett hopped off of him and began bouncing around the group.

After another round of laughter, Luke the Lucario and Slash the Zoroark emerged from the room, both with half-smiles on their faces. Blaze, Dott, and Lovell stumbled out behind them, roughhousing as they usually did, and Snow gave them all warm greetings as the troupe headed for the breakfast hall.

"Hey, have you guys seen Farlo and Akira anywhere?" Snow asked, looking up and down the hallway as she walked. She couldn't quite remember where Akira's room was, even though it was relatively close to hers.

"Yeah, I saw them go down to the breakfast hall already," Lovell replied; his Luxio mane was messy with sleep, and Snow giggled at his failed attempts at fixing it.

"I'm so hungry I could eat a whole Camerupt!" Blaze exclaimed, his stomach growling in emphasis; the Flareon placed a paw on his stomach and groaned, pretending to faint in the middle of the hall. Dott, who had been walking behind Blaze, yelped with surprise and tripped over Blaze, both Spinda and Flareon tumbling together in a wrestling match.

"Come on guys, not in the hallway." Eve said quietly, coming to stand beside Snow as the others went ahead; she concentrated her psychic power and lifted the two off the ground in pink light, separating them and giving them equal smacks on the cheek with a psychic hand. "It took a lot of hard work to make these carpets clean without you guys tousling."

Snow sighed and watched as Blaze and Dott apologized before they dashed off to catch up with the group. "They're a handful sometimes, I'm afraid." Snow said to Eve, who was looking in front of her thoughtfully with her tails in her arms. Upon receiving no reply, Snow shrugged and raced to catch up with the group herself.

Sunny and Eve, although in the midst of all these visitors to their home, blended rather well with Snow and her friends, despite the little tousles here and there as just observed. Snow noticed how Sunny, Charlie, and Slash hit it off right away at the head of the group, swapping stories of battles and journeys and contemplating what was for breakfast; Jet hung back and waited for Eve to catch up, who was quiet and still wary of the group. Snow smiled as Jet spoke animatedly to her, obviously bragging about something or other, with Eve smiling shyly behind her tails.

The hallway opened up into a grand foyer, with sparkling white tiled floors and two light wooden staircases leading down on either side into the main room. A golden chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling, and a large pine tree stood decorated and shining in the corner of the room beside a white piano. The room was spacious enough to contain their whole troupe of rowdy Pokemon and then some, and Sunny took the lead down the right flight of stairs and into the hallway below the staircases toward the kitchen. Snow still felt intimidated by all of the largeness of the estate, but she was calmed by the smells of sweet bread and bacon as they entered the dining room.

The dining room was smaller than the foyer but contained a long dining room table, complete with a number of chairs. A separate, smaller table stood beside it, with many plush pillows surrounding its base and even miniature place settings; this table is the one the Pokemon headed towards, each of them taking a seat at their respective places but somewhat disregarding the silverware as they tucked into pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Snow's heart leapt at the sight of Farlo sitting at the head of the table; his creamy fur glowed with health and light, his eyes full of happiness and a sense of serenity Snow had never seen before.

"Snow! Everyone! Glad you guys finally rolled out of bed." Farlo teased, and everyone hollered their own greeting in between mouthfuls of food. After greetings were exchanged, Farlo stood and approached Snow, who was still standing at the edge of the dining room taking in the scene. They touched noses in greeting, Farlo giving Snow a glowing smile as they walked to the table together.

"Here, you can sit next to me." Farlo gestured with his tail to a seat on his right, where a pastel blue pillow sat. Snow smiled at him and sat down, looking at the other faces around the table and realizing with a rush of heat to her face how sloppily everyone ate their food.

"I hope we haven't been a bother to Akira," Snow said quietly to Farlo, leaning in to him to make sure she was heard over the chatter of the other Pokemon. "We're…well…we don't have the best manners, I'm sure."

Farlo waved his paw at her, shooing away her words. "It's fine, she understands. Plus, that's why we have people looking after us. Isn't that right, Charles?" Farlo winked at Snow as the graying butler, who had been standing over them all with a look of contempt, rolled his eyes and gave Farlo a smile.

"Anything I can do for you?" Charles said, bending down to speak to Farlo. On Farlo's other side sat Slash, who was checking his teeth in the back of a silver spoon. At the mention of assistance, he grinned widely and slapped Charles on the back with a paw, making the butler lurch forward and shaking his glasses askew.

"That's my man, Charles. Please bring extra syrup." Slash said, speaking perfect human English. Charles sighed and stood upright, no longer surprised with Slash's talking ability as he had already experienced it the first time Farlo and Slash had visited.

"Of course." Charles sighed, fixing his glasses and giving a small bow before exiting the dining room.

Slash winked across the table at Snow, his eyes flashing with mischief. "Gotta love the service here, eh, sweetheart?" Snow smiled, chuckling at the glare Farlo gave Slash for the comment, which clearly stated, _no one gets to call her sweetheart without my say. _

"I should hope the service is good," Charlie chimed in on Snow's right; he was sitting cross-legged and seemed to be the only one using silverware. Even though he was the only one with the thumbs to hold the fork and knife, it didn't make Snow any less surprised to see him using them. "I mean, what would Christmas Eve morning be without impeccable breakfast?"

"I remember some good Christmas breakfasts." Luke sighed thoughtfully beside Slash; he touched his paw to the bandanna over his right eye, the other twinkling with nostalgia. "Charlie, remember when you, me, and Riddle used to go to that park in the snow and throw snowballs at the café windows after Christmas brunch?"

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, that was great." He turned to speak to the rest of the table, who had stopped chatting to listen in. "See, our trainer Riddle was always buddy-buddy with the managers of the café after that, seeing as how she was their niece and all, but even though she was family we still got in trouble."

"Gods, doI have stories to tell about _family_." Maston thundered, his great chest heaving a heavy sigh of embarrassment. "One Christmas, my older brother put icicles in my bed at night, so that when I woke up and my bed was wet he could tell my parents I peed myself in the night and couldn't open presents."

"At least you _got_ presents," Blaze grumbled, swallowing his last bite of pancake as the rest of the table roared with laughter at Maston's story. "Whenever the holidays rolled around at the Golden Gracidea camp, we would just have extra training sessions to keep our muscles warm. Our presents came from stealing them from humans and…" His voice trailed off as Charles the butler gave him a scrutinizing look, and Blaze cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Of course, we don't steal things anymore. We're on a different path now."

Snow listened as more Pokemon exchanged holiday stories, and the food on her plate grew colder and colder as her appetite waned with each word spoken. The words 'Christmas' and 'holidays' were being tossed back and forth at every turn, and all of the new information about traditions and food and gifts and family was giving her a headache.

After a particularly embarrassing story from Jet about his failed holiday prank on one of his sisters, Snow stood from the table and excused herself to go outside.

"Are you feeling okay, Snow? You've hardly touched your food." Farlo asked, his voice filled with concern.

"I just need some air." Snow said, feeling as if another minute in the stuffy room would make her physically melt.

Farlo stood from his seat, grabbing the attention of a few Pokemon. "I'll come with you."

Snow shook her head. "No, I'd like to be alone for a bit. Besides," she chuckled, trying to make her voice sound cheery and lighthearted, "you'd freeze! It's snowing Meowth and Snubbul out there."

Farlo sat back down, somewhat crestfallen but no longer worried. "All right. See you later, I guess."

Snow nodded in gratitude, bounding out of the dining hall and finding her way to the gardens in the backyard.

* * *

A fresh blanket of snow had fallen since Snow had last looked outside, and she sighed in contentment as the fresh powder soaked through her paws. She padded softly over the snow, wandering through the white hedge mazes and skeletal berry trees under the milky winter sun. She saw a few Piplup and Cubchoo sliding down an icy slide in one of the courtyard fountains, and a bundled up Leavanny sitting beneath a gazebo with a Grovyle, who was leaning back nonchalantly in his chair and chatting with her.

After a bit of walking, Snow found herself calming down as the sky grew slightly darker; a new round of snowfall began to dispel from the clouds, and Snow found a space on a snowy lawn beside a marble statue of a Gothitelle where she settled down to relax.

She hadn't realized how much she had craved alone time since she got to Akira's mansion until that moment. Sitting on the lawn, with nothing but the icy wind at her back, Snow felt the most relaxed than she had in months.

However, with the next gust of wind fluttered in all her recent worries about this Christmas holiday business. What was she going to do? She seemed to be the only Pokemon who didn't know what Christmas was.

All of Snow's memories of spending winter with her family weren't as happy as her friends'. With her three other Eevee siblings during her early days, winters were always the hardest; her mother being a Vaporeon and her father a Jolteon, neither of them were properly equipped for the weather and struggled to make ends meet during the hard months. As the eldest, it was up to Snow to try and provide for her family; to rise to the challenge of the harsh winters, Snow made it her goal to evolve into a capable Pokemon so that she could forage for food when her family couldn't.

Snow frowned at a smudge of green peeking out of the snow at her paws, and she pushed some of it aside to reveal a small flower; the petals were light pink and wilted, but its stem was green and strong. Captivated by its perseverance in the cold, Snow reached to touch the petals with her paw, but her icy aura—amplified by the weather—encased it in ice in the instance before she could touch it. Snow sighed mournfully and set her chin on her paws, staring at the now crystalline and dead flower before her.

The last night she had seen her family was the night she had set herself to evolve, when the Fights Group took her. She had been out training in the snowy hills of their mountain home, about to turn in for the night, when she heard the rustle of bushes behind her; when she turned around, it was to the sight of a cage coming down over her. She had screamed and kicked at the metal bars, but no matter what she did she couldn't break free.

Snow poked the crystallized flower in front of her, admiring how the feeble light reflected off its now multi-faceted surface. The flower inside was preserved, it seemed, its petals encased and unmoved in its icy prison.

She always wondered what had happened to her family that day. She had seen a second man, darkened in black winter clothes, carrying a tranquilizer gun as he approached Snow's family cornered in their cave when her captor caught up to him. She had watched her dad fight his hardest, trying to stun the man, but the man nipped him with a dart before he could do much damage. That was when Snow had felt her body begin to change, her legs growing longer and her body temperature dropping to below freezing; she wasn't quite sure what happened, but the next thing she knew she had broken out of her cage and knocked her captor over. However, just as she was about to sprint toward her mother and siblings in their cave, she felt the second man drop a bag over her head and pin her down, everything going black.

The snow was falling steadily now, the flakes piling gently on Snow's back like a soft blanket. After another moment, Snow stood and shook off her pelt; padding past the crystallized flower, Snow walked silently back up the snowy path toward the house, looking up at the snowflakes spiraling down from the clouds.

That winter was the first she had spent at the Fights Group; she had even earned her nickname, Snow, from the way she had carried a blizzard around her during her first week in captivity, still getting used to her evolved form and storming about her family. However, there was nothing she could have done about her situation, so she had ended up isolating herself in a self-created icy prison.

Snow glared at the sky, her eyes sparkling with determination. Well, this year, she wasn't going to cower in the snow any longer. She was going to find out what this Christmas business was, and she was going to make it the best holiday Farlo had ever seen. She wouldn't let anyone down like she had that winter day, and she certainly wasn't going to let the day pass her by without leaving her mark.

"All right, 'Christmas'," Snow murmured to herself, feeling heat rush up at her as she reentered the house, "I'm coming for you."

* * *

Once everyone had retired to their rooms after breakfast, Snow asked Eve and Sunny if they would go out to the city with her to help her figure out what Christmas was.

Sunny, who had been admiring her red and white scarf in the mirror, made a surprised look and looked back at Snow with wide eyes. "_What_? All this time and you've never known what Christmas was?"

Snow looked down at her paws in embarrassment, feeling her face grow warm. "W-Well, no…My family was never in a place to celebrate anything…"

Eve smiled at Snow, gesturing for Snow to sit beside her in a beanbag. Snow obliged, blinking at the Meowstic curiously. Eve's eyes twinkled. "Well, Christmas is a holiday some humans enjoy celebrating. Apparently, there was this baby who was born, and he was, like, the son of the human equivalent of Arceus, and he did all these miracle things in his life. Christmas is the holiday where they celebrate his birthday, you see?"

"No, no, no!" Sunny exclaimed, butting in between Eve and Snow on the beanbag and giving Eve a withering look. "Don't tell her the _boring _story." She turned to face Snow, a twinkle in her eyes. "Christmas is the holiday where a chubby man comes down human chimneys and leaves goodies for the good people and Pokemon, and leaves coal for the bad people and Pokemon. He has a Pokemon called Stantler that he rides around, and it takes him all over the world on Christmas Eve night spreading joy to the world!" Sunny panted, out of breath by the time she finished.

Snow blinked, her eyes furrowed in confusion. "So…this fat man…he is the baby?"

Sunny shook her head, laughing. "No, silly! He's Santa Clause! _Duh!_"

Eve sighed irritably, crossing her arms. "Sometimes, Sunny, you can be so uncultured in the ways of how history took place…"

"Oh, poo you." Sunny stuck her tongue out at Eve, who rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows it's all about the presents, anyway."

Snow stood, pacing the floor in front of the girls. "So…I should get presents for everyone on Christmas? That seems like a big task…"

Sunny paused a moment, thinking. "Well…you could do some sort of fancy trick? Make a cake or something?"

Snow thought a moment. A special trick…she looked out the window at the snow falling quietly outside, and suddenly an idea graced her mind, setting her thoughts on a wild spin. She felt a thrill of excitement, and the room dropped three degrees in the process.

"I've got it!" Snow exclaimed. She didn't remember the last time she felt so excited over something. "It's the perfect gift!" She looked to Sunny and Eve, who were smiling at her but were also shivering due to her sudden icy blast. A few snowflakes drifted through the air around her feet, where the wood floor was partially frozen over.

"Oops…" Snow grumbled, feeling embarrassed. "Sorry about that…"

"It's okay. What's this idea of yours?" Eve asked, blinking curiously at the Glaceon.

Snow smiled. "It's gonna be a little tricky, so I'm going to need you girls' help. Do you think you could do that for me?"

Sunny and Eve exchanged a look, and then both broke into wide grins and nodded vigorously. "We'll help out in any way we can!" Sunny cheered.

Snow smiled. "Then let's go to town, girls. We've got work to do!"

* * *

The fresh, icy wind breezed through the plaza streets, forcing passerby to bundle up in their coats as they browsed the shop windows for last-minute shopping. Sunny, Eve, and Snow, adorned in snowy weather gear, strode down the street, waving greetings to fellow Pokemon playing in the street and allowing children to pet them as they walked by. Snow took in as much information as she could, noting the wreaths and candy canes and jingling Christmas music at every storefront.

"What exactly are we looking for Snow?" Eve said, her voice muffled by the dark blue scarf draping her neck and shoulders. "We don't necessarily have means to buy anything for what you're planning."

Snow, unabashed by the weather, kept walking forward without glancing back as she replied. "I'm not really looking for things to be bought, per se. I'm looking for information." After a few more moments of searching, Snow spotted the store she was looking for. "This way!"

Darting across the street and weaving her way through the forest of legs around her, Snow slowed at the front of a bookstore, where a snow-covered sign reading, 'Tamara's Tavern of Timeless Tales' hung in the doorway. In the shop window stood stands of open books of fairy tales, along with little Pokemon plush toys wearing red hats with white furry trim.

Panting, Sunny and Eve scrambled behind her, looking at Snow's eyes dart back and forth over the items in the window. "What do you need with _books_?" Sunny said, her tone irritable.

Snow nodded to herself, seeming to not have heard what Sunny had said. "This is perfect. Come on, let's go inside." Snow, silent as her namesake, snuck in the doorway as a human left the store, propping the door open and waiting for Eve and Sunny to follow her inside. Exchanging excited looks, Sunny and Eve hurriedly followed her into the warm atmosphere of the store.

The store smelled of nutmeg and cinnamon, the bookshelves a dark glossy brown and containing volumes stacked as high as the ceiling. Snow began heading down the aisles, her eyes darting down the spines of the books as people gave her curious glances as she passed. Her eyes fell upon a book labeled, _Holiday Fables by Helga Hasselhoff_, and grabbing it delicately with her teeth she pulled it off the shelf and let it fall open in front of her.

"Easter…St. Patrick's Day…Thanksgiving…Chanukkah…aha!" Snow flipped the page to a picture of a pine tree decorated in colorful baubles, and her heart soared as she recognized it. "This is the same kind of tree that's in Akira's house! Let's see…a 'Christmas tree'. And these things…called 'ornaments'? People put them on the tree with decorative lights to make it look pretty after cutting it down. How bizarre; decorating the dead shell of a tree." Snow thought she must look silly talking to herself, but she pushed the thought aside.

"Um…Snow?" Eve said, her voice quiet and tentative. Eve glanced around at the people giving Snow dirty looks, as she had plopped down right in the middle of the aisle and started reading. "We should probably move to the Pokemon area or something to look at that…?"

Snow's eyes flew over the pages, absorbing as much information she could. "Let's see…I'll need something like that…and then…what the hell? 'Fruitcake'? That looks wholly unappetizing…"

Snow felt something wrap around her torso, and with a yelp she felt herself get squeezed and raised into the air. "Hey!" Snow exclaimed, looking down at Sunny who had her caught in a vine grip.

"Snow, calm down," Sunny said, her voice wavering with laughter. Eve grabbed the book off the ground and together her and Sunny carried Snow and the book over to a small group of cushions in the corner of the bookstore, where a few other Pokemon sat relaxing while their trainers browsed the store. As soon as all of them had settled into the cushions, Sunny continued, "We've still got time before you need to pull off your stunt. We can research together, okay?"

Snow took a deep breath and nodded, feeling her nerves calm down somewhat. "Yeah, okay. Sounds better."

"All right." Eve clapped her paws together, rubbing them. "Sunny, why don't you and I look for some decorating books while Snow does her research?"

Sunny nodded, and with another amused look at Snow poring over the book, she bounded after Eve into the aisles.

As the day wore on, more and more people began bustling through the store, and a few employees occasionally glanced over Snow's shoulder as they walked by, saw what she was 'reading', and chuckled, thinking that Snow was just a Pokemon interested in the pretty pictures.

However, what they didn't know is that Snow could most certainly read, and that she was ankle deep in what she deemed 'the Christmas spirit'. "Snowflakes…White Christmas…Angel Gabriel…the Three Wise Men…" Snow murmured to herself as she read. Who knew there was so much information regarding a single holiday! She licked the tip of her paw and turned the page, where the painted picture of a decorative box tied with ribbon greeted her.

Snow sat back, looking at the book and trying to wrap her head around the concept of this holiday. Eve, who was looking at a shelf of Delibird plush toys, saw Snow rubbing her eyes in exhaustion and walked over to check on her.

"How's it going over here? Did you find what you're looking for?" She asked, sitting beside Snow and looking at the picture in the book curiously.

Snow sighed, shaking her head. "I guess I can't really make much sense of the holiday traditions themselves…but I at least understand what it's about." Snow smiled at Eve, her eyes twinkling. "And I have enough information to make my gift to everyone."

"Great." Eve smiled back, although she wrung her paws nervously in her lap. "But…your plan…it's a little extravagant, from the way you described it. Are you sure you don't want to buy a gift or two, instead? Make them a fruitcake?"

Snow thought a moment, feeling doubt creep into her. Could she pull off what she wanted to do? Then, she remembered the crystallized flower in Akira's garden, and the glowing smile on Farlo's face when he talked endlessly about spending his first Christmas home with her.

"No. No fruitcake." Snow said, standing and giving Eve a determined smile. "I need to make this the best Christmas Farlo has ever had. He deserves it after all he's done, and I'm not going to let him down."

Eve opened her mouth to reply, but just then Sunny trotted up to them carrying a hat—a 'Santa hat', Snow recognized proudly—held aloft between her vines. She placed it carefully atop Snow's head, and Snow pushed the trim out of her eyes with a paw and gave Sunny a questioning look.

"Here! The store clerk over there told me to give this you." Snow looked over Sunny's shoulder, where a store clerk with short blond hair waved at her with a grin. "He said to tell you he admires your reading skills."

Snow blinked at Sunny, then a bursting bark of laughter poured out of her. As she caught her breath, she beamed at her new friends, feeling happier than she had been in a long time.

"Come on, let's get back to the house; it's getting late." Snow giggled. She returned the book to the shelf where she found it and began walking toward the door, where the blond clerk stood handing Christmas flyers to the people walking into the store.

Snow turned to look up at the man, who crouched down to meet her eyes.

"I hope you were satisfied with our collection today, miss." The clerk said, smiling with amusement.

Snow smiled in response, and she took a step back from him; holding out her paw in front of her, she blew a gust of snowy air over it, and a small ice heart formed perfectly sculpted in her paw.

The man blinked in surprise, adjusting the circular glasses on his nose and looking at Snow with wonder in his blue eyes and his mouth slightly agape. Snow held her paw out to him, and with delicate fingers the man took the heart from her paw and held it in the palm of his hand, where it shimmer and sparkled with reflective light on its multifaceted surface.

Pushing open the door with her head, Snow turned to look back at the man, who was smiling at her in awe. "Thanks for the hat." Snow said, speaking human English; she then pushed her way outside with Sunny and Eve bounding after her, all three of them running down the street and back home.

The man stood in the doorway of the bookstore, the heart still sitting cool in his open palm. He looked at it, smiled, and walked back inside, closing the door behind him.

*******UPDATE: as of December 25th, 2013* - So, since it's Christmas Day, I haven't had a chance to work on the next chapter all too much. Instead of publishing it today like I promised, I'm going to publish it sometime in the next day or two. I'd rather take my time and write a wholesome, well-rounded chapter for all of you than rush the rest of it because of a due date.**

**Which means, Part 2 is coming soon!**


	2. Part 2: Warmth

**I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season, and I wish you all a Happy New Year!**

* * *

_**The Story of Farlo: A Christmas For Snow**_

_**Part 2: Warmth**_

The sun bled through the gray cloud cover on December 24th, showering gold and crimson on the rooftops of Ivybrooke City. The snow shimmered on the eaves and buried the dormant cars in the numerous driveways of the suburbs.

The Matsume estate, while already bathed in darkness, was alive with light and color. White bulbs were strung spiraling down the large hedges on either side of the front yard, the wrought-iron front gate adorned with a wreath and a massive red felt ribbon. All the lights were on in the garden, making it glow with warmth, and porcelain candy cane lights lined the walkway leading up to the front porch.

Snow, Eve, and Sunny were just returning to the estate, the snow sparkling at the girls' feet as they trotted up to the front gate.

Upon reaching the gates, Snow slowed to a stop, looking up at the beefy security guard on the other side. He had a large red mustache and wore a black beanie over his ears, a pistol strapped to his belt. A badge labeled 'Ivybrooke City Police Department' sat proudly on his thick chest, and the wrinkles lining his eyes became more pronounced as he gave the three Pokemon a grin.

"Merry Christmas, ladies. Hope you three had a nice shopping trip?" The man said, tipping his hat to Snow, Eve, and Sunny outside the gate. Sunny walked up to him and smiled, and the guard bent down and pet her head fondly.

"Ah, Sunny, good to see you! You three can come on back in. Everyone's been wonderin' where you've been!" The guard unlatched the gate and it creaked inward, and with a few thankful nods the three girls trotted inside the gates and toward the warmth and light of the estate.

Once Charles let them back into the foyer, Snow was able to look at everything in a different light. Not only were the pine boughs and ribbons decorating the halls even more magnificent now that she knew what they stood for, but Snow could now appreciate the music and Christmas decorations that everyone else had already gotten excited for.

Hearing murmurs and laughter coming from the parlor to their left, the three girls padded over to find all of their friends sitting around a stone fireplace, chatting and laughing. More plush couches sat at the corners of the room, and the evening light glowed through the large window that faced the front garden.

Jet was the first to spot the three, hopping down off his place on the couch and trotting over to greet them. "Snow! Sunny! Eve…where the hell have you been? It's bloody Christmas Eve!" He gave Sunny another head butt and Snow a hello, but upon greeting Eve his face turned a light shade of pink and he ended up just waving at her awkwardly, she doing the same.

"Oh, Eve and I were just showing Snow the city," Sunny replied, curling her legs under her as she lay down comfortably on the carpet. "We went to the bookstore to—" Snow shook her head quickly behind Jet's back and gave Sunny a pointed look, and Sunny plowed right onto a different course. "—to check out the decorations they had set up in there."

Snow let out a sigh of relief; she didn't want anyone knowing that she had really just been looking up what Christmas was. She could already imagine the embarrassment and ridicule she'd receive for not having known…

Jet nodded, seemingly satisfied with Sunny's answer. "That sounds like fun. Why didn't you guys invite us?"

"Just a girls day on the town is all right once in awhile, don't you think, Jet?" Farlo jumped in, walking forward and taking a seat beside Snow. "They didn't really miss much, anyway."

From an armchair near the fireplace, Slash sighed in contentment. "They only missed the best homemade eggnog on the planet."

"_And _the best snowball fight this afternoon!" Blaze exclaimed, lying beside Garrett and Lovell on the floor in front of the fireplace. Garrett, who was beginning to nod off beside him, was jolted slightly by Blaze nudging him in recognition. "This little guy slammed Jet pretty hard a couple times! You should've seen the look on Jet's face…"

"And we placed everyone's presents under the tree for tomorrow morning," Maston added. He was reclining in the Matsume's large brown sofa, putting it under more stress than Snow thought it could handle with his massive form.

"Hey, Maston," Garrett yawned, padding over to sit at Maston's feet, "could you tell us the story of the Lunar Duo again?" His big green eyes shimmered with excitement, even though they drooped from exhaustion.

Everyone chuckled around them. "Fifth times the charm, eh, fellas?" Maston said to the group. He smiled brightly at the Eevee, who snuggled up beside his foot as the other Pokemon gathered around to hear Maston's story.

Snow, however, felt her plummet to her knees, a cool tingling sensation overwhelming her senses and temporarily fuzzying her vision.

"Gods, I used to hear this story all the time when I was a kid." Jet murmured, his eyes twinkling with nostalgia.

"It's a tradition we've done every year, eh, Charlie?" Luke said, elbowing his adopted brother playfully. "You could never sit still long enough to hear the whole thing."

_Shit. _Snow dug her claws into the carpet, trying to keep from panicking. _Lunar Duo? What the hell…? Who are they? What is this? _

Snow felt as if her world were spinning, the room turning upside down. This couldn't be happening. She thought she had read everything there was to know about Christmas! It didn't say anything about a Lunar Duo in any of the volumes Snow had searched that day. Was all her work for naught?

"Oh my Arceus…" Snow made a barely audible squeak of panic, her eyes wide with surprise and disbelief. The Santa hat still perched on her head fell lopsided over her lowered ears, and she pulled the trim down to hide her face in shame.

To make matters worse, Sunny and Eve exchanged puzzled glances. "The Lunar Duo? What do they have to do with anything?" Eve asked, taking a seat close beside Jet in front of Maston.

"The Lunar Duo legend is an ancient Pokemon holiday tale. It predates any human Christmas story, but the holiday falls right around the winter solstice, so it usually just piggy-backs on Christmas to save the trouble of remembering when the solstice is." Jet explained, receiving many nods of agreement from the surrounding Pokemon.

Sunny frowned, looking thoughtful. "Huh. I guess Eve and I were raised around humans all our lives…we never heard of that legend before! How funny!" Sunny laughed heartily. After a moment however, the smile fell from her face as realization hit. She turned around to look at Snow, whose expression was one of rage and infuriation.

"Oops…" She murmured, giving Snow a nervously apologetic smile.

Before anyone could continue, Maston cleared his throat and regained everyone's attention. "Now, if you'll all stop interrupting." He shifted in his seat, his tone taking on a whimsical quality. "The celebration of the Lunar Duo is known as Wintermoon. Every year on the winter solstice, the Pokemon Cresselia and Darkrai converge to assess the purest hearts of the Pokemon of the world. As a tradition every year to please them, Pokemon give Cresselia and Darkrai a gift in honor of their blessing; Cresselia awards the Pokemon with good dreams all for the next year, while Darkrai awards his protection for the year by warning the Pokemon of events to come in their sleep."

"And then, since Christmas is all about the gift-giving," Charlie added, "Wintermoon is celebrated at the same time."

Snow stood and started backing out of the room, her heart racing and her head feeling light. Where was she going to find more gifts? She wasn't planning on presenting her gift to everyone until tomorrow morning, and she couldn't make anything out of ice for the Lunar Duo; she couldn't produce a substantial offering to give to legendaries in charge of dreams.

"I…I can't…" she stuttered, half to herself. Her mind was swirling again, and she felt out of control. She was going to let the Lunar Duo down, she had no presents; what was she going to do…?

"I…I didn't even know about this holiday…" Snow cursed vividly through gritted teeth, trying to suppress her panic. Luckily, the other Pokemon were so focused on Maston that they didn't notice her slowly coming undone. Beside her, Farlo seemed the only one who recognized her agitation, and he took a few steps away from her in hesitation and unease.

"Snow, what's the matter? Calm down." Farlo whispered urgently, trying to meet Snow's eyes; however, she had her eyes clamped shut, her paws covering them as she shivered with stress on the ground.

So many presents, so much to do, so little time…

Maston, unaware of what was taking place at the back of the group, continued, "But the true reason why we give them gifts every year—"

"Grah!" A burst of ice chilled the room and froze the walls and floor as Snow snarled, making everyone jump. The fur on her spine bristled like needles, and snow whipped around her form in frenzy. "I can't take it anymore!" Ice shards formed around her, floating in the air like deadly diamonds and shooting every-which-way on the ceiling, making her friends shout with panic. Before she could see any of her friends' shocked reactions, she bounded out of the room, trailing snowflakes and ice in her wake.

The cold night air did nothing to comfort Snow in her state of agitation as she bounded out of the mansion, not sure where she was going but bringing ice in her wake. If anything, her panic did more to whip up the snow that lay dormant on the ground, creating a blizzard of white where she could hide and gather her thoughts.

Without really knowing how, she had skirted the security guard at the front gate and navigated her way to the sidewalks of the town square. People still buzzed around the storefronts as they did their final bouts of Christmas shopping; men and women carrying groceries and holiday gift wrapping packed themselves into cars and attempted to drive through the snow on the road; flurries of crystallized water vapor stung rosy cheeks and whipped in swirls around galoshes, and a few Pokemon stumbled in snow drifts at the feet of their trainers on their way home.

Her feet still leading her astray, Snow found herself trotting past Tamara's Tavern of Timeless Tales, and she slowed to a stop beneath the window. The displays from that afternoon were the same, but this time Snow felt a stab of guilt every time she looked at the happy plush toys in Santa hats and the decorative Christmas lights illuminating the border. All they reminded her of was how ridiculously ignorant she was of every holiday this planet seemed to hold.

As she felt herself slowly calming down, the blizzard that had formed around her subsided as she succumbed to her misery. Not only had she not gotten the Lunar Duo any gifts for Christmas, but she had just run out on her friends for the second time that day. On Christmas Eve! What kind of a friend was she if she couldn't even keep it together for the holiday?

As Snow sat feeling miserable and cold inside and out, a bell clanged cheerily in the doorway to the store. The blond clerk, adorned in a red sweater and green apron, walked onto the walkway in front of the store, shoveling snow out of the doorway into the street. After a few minutes of this, he paused, finally catching sight of Snow sitting gloomily a few feet beside him. He stood up straight, and hauling the shovel over one shoulder he headed back into the store; a moment later, he came out carrying a red and black plaid blanket, which he then walked over and draped around Snow's shoulders.

Snow started at the touch of the blanket, looking up to see the clerk giving her a warm smile. He nudged her back, beckoning toward the doorway.

"Here, why don't you come on inside where it's warm and dry?" The clerk said. Snow felt comforted by the warm compassion in his tone, and despite the defeat she felt she followed the clerk into the store gratefully.

The store was definitely warmer, and although Snow wasn't a fan of heat it felt good to be in a drier environment than out in the wet slush. At this hour, the last rush of people had already passed, and only the old stragglers with nowhere to go were left browsing the bookshelves. The clerk led Snow behind the tall front counter, and Snow saw a small nook where pillows sat neatly among wool blankets and plush toys.

The clerk gestured toward the pillows, and Snow walked over and lay down on them, feeling her muscles relax almost instantly into their comfort. She sighed quietly, blinking up at the clerk gratefully. The clerk winked at her, then turned toward a customer who had just approached the counter.

Snow sat quietly for a while, listening to the instrumental Christmas music playing softly in the store and the silent murmur of people enjoying literature. She felt herself dozing in the warmth of the store, her head on her paws, when movement caught her eye to her left. She blinked her eyes a few times, looking curiously at a robotic face peeking shyly at her from behind a wooden column beside the counter.

"Hello?" She called softly, her tone light and curious. The face hesitated a moment before a Pokemon stepped out to face her, and Snow recognized it as a Golett. The Golett shuffled his feet, not meeting her eyes, and after a moment he waved his right hand slightly at her in a gesture of greeting.

Snow smiled at him, chuckling at his apparent shyness. "Merry Christmas," Snow murmured, feeling guilt rush back into her. She frowned, sighing deeply and placing her head back on her paws.

After about half an hour had passed, the store became dark and quiet. The last of the customers had left, leaving the clerk, Snow, and the Golett alone in the store. The clerk stretched his arms above his head, swiveling slightly on his cushioned barstool behind the counter and pushing his round glasses up the bridge of his nose. The Golett had gotten comfortable sitting cross-legged in the aisle of one of the nearby shelves, flipping through a heavy-looking textbook with a forgotten mop and pail sitting beside him.

The clerk, upon spying the Golett reading, stood and put his hands on his hips. "What did I tell you, Otto? Only read one chapter per aisle. At this rate, you'll finish the book before you finish the floor!" Otto jumped at the sound of the clerk's tone, shutting the book and scrambling to his feet. He grabbed the mop and pail and began mopping the aisle hastily, but after a minute or so of mopping the same spot over and over again he plopped right back down in his seat and began flipping through the book once more.

The clerk chuckled at the Golett. He glanced at his watch as his hand absently touched the Poke Ball at his belt; however, upon taking note of the time, both his hands went into his pockets instead of making any moves to return Golett for the night.

The clerk looked down at Snow then, crouching down and sitting cross-legged in front of her; Snow met his gaze steadily as if daring him to challenge her, although her eyes were full of too much sadness to convey confidence. Snow, finally able to see his nametag clearly, read the word _Liam_ on its face in a neat, handwritten script.

Liam glanced at the top of her head, smiling. " I see you still have your Santa hat on from earlier today." Upon receiving silence as his reply, he continued, "I never got a chance to thank you for your gift. It was beautiful. I put it in the freezer in the staff room to make sure it didn't melt before I got home. That is, if I even get to go home tonight." He sighed wistfully, and for the first time that day Snow noticed he had his own mournful look in his eye.

At Snow's questioning gaze, Liam ruffled the hat on her head affectionately. "There's nothin' worse than working on Christmas Eve. It's the curse of a family-owned book store, I guess; gotta do everything we can to make ends meet."

Snow nodded vigorously, feeling she could relate to this young man. She hesitated, her mouth slightly open, before speaking to him quietly, "I…understand. Do everything you can."

Liam straightened at her use of the human language, but after a moment he relaxed and gave another small smile. "I thought you might. You were certainly working hard this afternoon to get something done."

Snow frowned, feeling her eyes sting with tears. This nice man had taken her in, given her shelter and warmth, and she still felt miserable about leaving her friends. "I failed. I did everything I could, but…I still let some good Pokemon down." She had reverted to speaking her usual tongue, but Liam nodded politely at her words even though he couldn't understand them.

Liam was quiet a moment, and the only sound that could be heard was Otto quietly turning the pages of his book in the aisle. Snow looked up again and saw that Liam was fishing something out of his apron pocket; she stiffened, imagining him taking out a Poke Ball and trying to catch her. Instead, he pulled out a small ovular cake the color of candy canes.

"Here, this is a Poffin. I got it fresh from the market today. It'll help with the cold." Snow sniffed it in the palm of his hand, and then hesitantly took a bite; the taste of peppermint and vanilla washed over her tongue, and she felt warmth and contentment sigh through her body. She quickly polished the treat off, licking her paws before curling up in a ball facing away from Liam, smiling with gratitude.

After a moment, Liam stood, uttering a yawn and grabbing his shovel by the door. As he walked back outside to shovel the walkway, a small murmur behind him made him stop and turn around.

Snow, with her back still to him, repeated, "Merry Christmas, Liam" louder in his language so he could hear her. Liam smiled, and with a cheery clang of the bell, he stepped back out into the cold.

* * *

The icy ground of the forest felt soothing to Snow's paws as she padded through the wood, the air silent as the snow muted all sound. She walked confidently, looking straight ahead of her, and although her body seemed sure of her destination Snow wasn't all that sure where she was going. There were no other Pokemon around, it seemed, but Snow was content with being alone. The wintry woods were sparkling, the trees light wooden bark damp and smelling of the earth that was buried somewhere beneath the white.

The forest ahead of her opened up into a clearing, where the trees opened onto the view of a cliff's face. She increased her pace, her mind finally catching up with her confident trot; as soon as she reached the small clearing, she skidded to a stop, her breath coming out in fogged gasps in front of her as she looked breathlessly at the sight before her.

She had run right into the old clearing where she used to live with her family. Now that Snow was older and taller, the opening in the rock she had called her home for so many years looked smaller; the cave of her childhood looked empty from where Snow was standing, and no paw prints had indented the blanket of snow on the ground around the cave or in the clearing.

"Snow…" The wind whispered. Snow looked around for the source of the voice, her pelt bristling instinctively. "…Snoooow…"

"Who's there?" Snow demanded, her voice firm. "Come out where I can see you."

"Okay!" Snow jumped and let out a shout as a voice cheerily answered from just over her shoulder. She whirled around to face the voice, and fell backward in the snow when she saw who it was.

In front of her stood a beautiful Pokemon. She had a crescent-shaped crest on her head, and ribbon-like pink rings connecting from her wrists to the large gradient-pink ring on her backside. The pink gem on her head flashed a dazzling light as the Pokemon laughed, a light sound that brought floods of contentment through Snow.

"Hiya! I'm Cresselia!" The Pokemon chirped. While she seemed elegant and majestic, she sounded casual and full of energy and spunk.

"N-Nice to meet you," Snow stammered. "Um, not to be rude or anything, but what're you doing here?"

Cresselia's smile darkened, and she gave Snow a wicked-looking grin. "The question is, is it _really _nice to meet me?" She uttered laugh, which attempted to be spooky but wasn't quite doing the trick.

"Oh, dear, Cresselia." Another, more distinguished voice scolded. "What have I told you about scaring Pokemon?" Snow yelped as a dark form materialized beside Cresselia, and as this new Pokemon fixed its ice blue gaze on hers she felt a staggering sense of dread and unease. However, the new Pokemon smiled at her warmly; he, too, was levitating, but his fur was black as night and red "jaws" ringed his neck as if about to bite off his head. His snow white hair billowed behind him, and he bowed deeply to Snow with his arms outstretched in front of him.

"My apologies, Snow. My dear Cresselia doesn't know how to curb her enthusiasm very well. My name is Darkrai, and we are the Lunar Duo."

Snow felt a ripple of shock flow through her. Unsure whether to bow, Snow just dipped her head awkwardly in greeting.

"Hello…" Snow said weakly, pushing down the guilt she felt inside at not giving these two presents for their holiday. She gulped silently, feeling pale. Were they here to punish her?

Cresselia snorted a laugh. "Silly, we're not here to punish you! We just wanted to talk with you."

Snow blinked, ignoring the fact that Cresselia had read her mind and tipping her head to one side in confusion. "Talk with me? But…" Snow looked down at her paws in embarrassment. "I didn't…I didn't get you guys anything for the holiday."

Darkrai floated towards her, and as soon as he placed a hand on Snow's shoulder she felt her eyes get heavy. She closed them, and when she opened them again she was transported back to Akira's mansion; however, she seemed to be floating in the air, and she realized her body was nothing more than a fine mist.

Before she could freak out, Darkrai and Cresselia materialized beside her, and they urged her to look below her at what was going on in the mansion.

The scene seemed to be in real time, after Snow had frozen the room and ran off to the city. Snow winced as she saw the fireplace frozen over and covered with snow; cracks had appeared in the floor where her ice had frozen it over, and most of the room was dripping in ice shards shoved in the ceiling and couches. Snow saw with another stab of guilt that her ice had reached the neatly wrapped presents beneath the Christmas tree, making them somewhat soggy and droopy on the floor, some of them even frozen solid.

Her friends were still sitting in various places around the room, but while Snow expected them to look sad and betrayed at the damage she had caused, all of them were smiling and laughing, having a good time despite how much she ruined the room and their presents. Charlie was holding a frozen present in his lap, his warm body melting the ice around it, while Blaze was attempting to unfreeze the fireplace; Garrett was sitting on Sunny's back as they ran around the room, slipping and sliding on the ice and laughing hysterically as they attempted to knock over Jet, who was standing on an icicle jutting out of the ground and balancing. Farlo was sitting in the window watching all of the action with a big smile on his face, occasionally glancing out the window into the front garden as if still keeping an eye out for Snow.

"They're having…_fun_?" Snow murmured in disbelief. "But…but I froze everything, probably caused a lot of expensive damage, and froze everyone's presents. How could they possibly be _happy_?"

She blinked and she was back in the clearing, except this time she was standing on the snowy cliff overlooking her cave. Down below, she saw herself playing with her siblings in the snow, her father and mother standing nearby and smiling at the spectacle. Even while she knew it was a vision of a memory, tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of her family together again, happy and loving just as they used to be. Her father looked up, and while Snow knew she was just a ghost gazing on the past, she swore she saw him smile at her.

"You see, Snow, it isn't about the presents you give or the damage you do to your family on the holidays," Darkrai said, his voice echoing around Snow. She shut her eyes tight as the world began to spin, and darkness overwhelmed her senses for a few brief moments. When she opened them again, she was sitting in her old clearing, where she had first seen Darkrai and Cresselia appear.

"But I don't understand. If it's not about the presents, then why do we celebrate?" Snow asked, feeling genuinely confused.

"It's about the love that you share with those you care about, and the spirit of generosity!" Cresselia's chirped. At Snow's blank expression, she let out a giggle. "Ooh, you really _are _clueless, aren't you?"

"What my partner is trying to say," Darkrai said quickly before Snow could respond, "is that, no matter what happens over the holidays, it's the time you spend with your loved ones that really counts the most. The spirit of generosity is expressed through gift-giving, yes, but is mostly in the spirit of giving love to those around you."

Snow sat quietly, pondering this. Her ears drooped and she felt the familiar feeling of guilt settle into her. "I guess I haven't shown much of the holiday spirit, have I? I've run out on my friends for most of the day already."

"Well, the holiday's not over yet, is it?" Cresselia said pointedly. Just then, Snow's world began to spin, and her eyes grew leaden; she struggled to keep them open as Cresselia and Darkrai's forms began to dissipate into the mist of the snow. When she couldn't hold her eyes open any longer, Snow shut them onto darkness.

After a moment, Snow slowly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. She was back in the bookstore, curled up in a tight ball behind the counter. Daylight streamed through the windowpane, and she looked up and saw Liam snoozing in his chair with Otto's Poke Ball sitting in his lap.

Snow looked outside the window, where people were already walking through the streets talking and laughing and exchanging words of cheer. Snow stood and shook herself, her dream visions already fading away.

_The spirit of generosity, huh? _Snow thought, her mind holding onto the image of her friends a moment longer. She smiled, and she felt her familiar confidence and purpose flowing back into her like blood circulating through her muscles. _I understand now, Darkrai and Cresselia. Thanks for the pick-me-up. _

Snow quietly prodded Liam in the leg, startling him into consciousness. He looked down at Snow as he readjusted his glasses, and he gave her a bright smile.

"Hey, looks like you're feeling a little better, eh, girl?" Snow nodded, and Liam bent down to ruffle the fur on her head. He grabbed her Santa hat, which had fallen off in the night, and placed it back on her head gently, where she gave him a smile of gratitude. Snow walked toward the door, where she looked back at Liam expectantly. Liam, though looking slightly crestfallen, gave her a smirk and moved to unlock the door.

"I guess you can't stay here forever…" he murmured, half to himself. He held the door open for her and gave a small bow. "Thank you for stopping by, miss. It was a pleasure to spend this lonely Christmas Eve with a friend."

Snow gestured for him to bend down, and as he did so she nuzzled his chest for a moment affectionately before bounding out of the store.

* * *

The sun was high in the winter sky, shining brightly over Akira's snowy garden. Akira, Farlo, Jet, and Maston walked at the head of their group of friends, taking in the beauty of the snow and bundling themselves up in their scarves. Garrett and Charlie were running around behind them, ducking with Blaze and Lovell behind bushes and throwing snowballs at each other between fits of laughter. Luke hung back with Slash and Dott at the rear of the group, Luke gently pushing Dott in the right direction as the Spinda wobbled his way after the group.

"What is this about, Snow? Where were you last night?" Farlo called ahead of him to where Snow was trotting cheerfully, leading them into the center of the garden.

"I'll tell you when we get there." Snow replied, not even looking at him over her shoulder. Snow's odd behavior had worried Farlo over the holidays, but for some reason she seemed to have gotten over the little hump of stress that had overtaken her that previous evening.

"You're not going to run off again, are you?" Jet asked her, somewhat teasing. "By all means, go ahead. We've been having a marvelous Christmas without you."

Snow smiled at his comment but didn't answer, instead stopping in the central garden square. A large marble fountain sat at the center, its basins full of snow; hedges sat rectangular and pruned in a circle around it, each hedge leading off into mazes of snow-covered berry fields and shriveled orchards. However bleak and quiet the gardens seemed now, Snow was determined to make it sparkle with beauty again.

Snow hopped onto the top basin of the fountain, turning to face all of her friends as they grouped in front of her. Their small murmurs were quieted as Snow cleared her throat.

"Everyone, I have something to say." Snow began. "I wanted to apologize to all of you for my behavior over these last few days. I know my absence has been puzzling and my outburst was…devastating to Akira's poor living room…" Snow took a steadying breath and continued, "But…I wanted to explain myself." All of the Pokemon and Akira were silent, waiting expectantly for what Snow could possibly say. Slash was standing beside Akira, murmuring the translation for what Snow was saying, and Snow forced herself to look away from Farlo's trainer in fear of the disapproval that might be in her eyes.

"I…I left because I didn't know what Christmas was," Snow finally blurted. Her friends' faces grew masks of surprise, but they kept silent. "I heard all of you talking about spending time with your families and giving gifts and then talking about the Lunar Duo…and I felt I couldn't share in your festivities because I've never celebrated a Christmas or a Wintermoon before."

"You could have told us that you didn't know what it was," Charlie said finally, looking at Snow with sympathy. "We would've helped you out."

"I…I was afraid you all would ridicule me. And besides," Snow said quickly, "I resolved to find out what Christmas was with help from Sunny and Eve, and I was determined to give the best gift I could to all of you." Snow closed her eyes and took another steadying breath before giving her friends a wide smile. "And now, without further ado, I present to you…my Christmas gift!"

Snow closed her eyes again and, imagining the flower suspended in ice somewhere in Akira's orchard, she blew a gentle, freezing breeze from her mouth and into the air above her. She opened her eyes and saw three beautifully sculpted snowflakes rise up in the air, slowly gathering the other snowflakes around them to grow in size and form fuzzy snow coats. Snow then leaped into the air and blew icy wind over their surfaces, and the end result created stunning crystallized snowflake sculptures each the size of her head. Her friends "oohed" and "aahed" below her, and Snow touched down at the top of the fountain again as the snowflakes blew their way around her friend's heads.

She took a steadying breath, then set to work. She leaped and bounded around in flurries of snow, wrapping it around her paws and weaving it to her liking. Amidst all the icy fog created by her, Farlo and his friends struggled to see what it was she was doing. After a few more moments, a large gust blew the fog away, revealing Snow standing in front of a dazzling sculpture.

The sculpture was magnificent. Made in the likenesses of her friends standing in a large group, Snow was able to capture even the subtlety of their expressions; Jet's sculpture even had its arms crossed, and snow had mastered Slash's signature slouch. At the center of the sculpture stood Farlo, Akira, and Snow, all of them smiling with Akira's arms around them both.

Her friends's mouths were agape in awe, all of them wearing big smiles and looking at Snow with newfound respect.

"Check it out! She even put in the bandanna over your eye, Luke!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Do I _really _look that big?" Maston murmured in embarrassment.

"Wow! This is so pretty!" Garrett bounced up and down in delight upon seeing his icy duplicate.

Snow smiled at all of her friends, feeling their praise rush over her. "Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope this makes up for—" Snow was cut off as, as one, the group ran forward and tackled Snow in a group hug, all of them laughing and hollering and thanking her for her present.

After a moment, Snow emerged from the mass of Pokemon, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Anyone up for a snowball fight in the berry patch before breakfast?"

* * *

The winter moon glowed full and round, gray clouds skimming across its surface and stars winking at the world below in the inky blue sky. In Akira's backyard garden, Pokemon and humans alike bustled about, multicolored lights strung along the walkways and wrapped around the branches of the trees, illuminating the snow-covered ground. Akira and her father and mother sat comfortably underneath a white gazebo, four tall heaters surrounding them and platters of food and drink placed on the table between them. A small orchestra played on a pedestal to the left of the gazebo, rotating around a list of Christmas songs and alternating up-beat and slow songs through the night. Butlers bundled in warm coats and carrying goodies waltzed around the snow-covered courtyard, where Pokemon and guests danced and laughed to the music being played. A banner with the words, 'Merry Christmas' adorned the doorway in scripted red letters, and Charles the butler stood beneath it greeting the guests that walked into the garden.

"Thank you for coming. Welcome to the Matsume estate." Charles murmured, shaking each man and woman's hand in turn and giving them smiles underneath his mustache. "So glad you could make it to our party."

Beside the courtyard, in the snowy fields illuminated by the lights from the trees, Farlo and his friends sat socializing with Akira's Pokemon and greeted the guest Pokemon that came with the visiting people. Farlo sat with Snow, Slash, Garrett, and Jet beneath a bare Pecha berry tree wrapped in lights and red ribbon, eating little cakes and warming underneath a heater placed beside them. Slash, his neck wrapped in a dark red scarf that draped down to the ground, was leaning on the Gothitelle statue beside them and flirting leisurely with a Delcatty and Simipour; Jet was showing off some water moves of his to Eve, who sat on a bench beside the heater and kept fussing with her tails shyly as she smiled at Jet. Snow's sculpture stood at the center of the party in front of the dry fountain, all of the guests marveling at her handiwork; they were all asking the Matsumes where they had found such a talented sculptor; while Akira's parents couldn't answer, Akira ended up smiling and pointing out Snow, and the guests followed her gaze to and looked in awe at the Glaceon sitting beneath the Pecha tree.

Snow sat beside Farlo, their tails overlapping, their bodies not touching due to Snow cancelling out the heat that Farlo was desperately trying to preserve. He was bundled in a large dark green scarf that nearly swallowed his head, but his cheeks were rosy and his eyes sparkled as he looked out on the beautiful party before him. He beamed every time guests came over to congratulate Snow on her hard work, and Snow was happily accepting the praise.

"I didn't know Akira's family was so well-known around here." Farlo remarked as yet another group of guests left after saying 'Merry Christmas' to Snow.

"Well, considering they have the largest house on the block, I'm guessing they're important." Snow replied, resting her chin on her paws.

Slash, who had said farewell to the ladies and kicked back underneath the tree, made a scoffing noise and gave Farlo a withering look. "The Matsume's, important? Akira's father is _only_ the Treasurer of City Council. I call that downright _royal._"

Farlo shot him a glance of annoyance and rolled his eyes. "Of course, Slash. I'm sure you kept that in mind when you were fondling their gold leaf vases in the foyer. Or when you stole those silver spoons from the kitchen."

"So sue me for having an eye for décor. It's not like they'll miss the spoons anyway."

Snow laughed, feeling light and warm for the first time in what felt like forever. She was safe this winter; no fights group pushing her to her limits, no wars, no rebellions to stress over. Everything was perfect. Except…

Snow felt that gnawing guilt eating at her stomach again. She still felt bad about all the damage she had caused to the estate—the look on Charles' face when he saw the living room had almost made Snow bolt again—and she couldn't stop thinking about how she had abandoned her friends on this most important holiday.

Sensing her discomfort, Farlo placed a paw over Snow's, looking into her eyes with concern. "Are you…are you feeling okay, Snow? Are you comfortable?"

Snow met his gaze, sighing and nodding her head. "Yes, Farlo. I'm comfortable. But I still feel guilty about all the trouble I've caused for the Matsume's."

"Don't worry about it, Snow!" Garrett chimed in, startling Farlo and Snow as he hopped over and lay down between them. He looked at Snow with a surprisingly mature understanding in his eyes. "You're with all of us now. We're your family, and family always forgives." Garrett blinked for a moment, a flash of puzzlement crossing his face. "I...I can't even remember the last time I spent time with my parents…but now that I'm with all of you, you guys are my family now." He looked over and beamed at Farlo. "Especially you, Daddy!"

Farlo gagged and looked away, Slash snickering behind him. "Oh, gods, not _that _again…"

Snow blinked at Farlo, surprise and subtle revulsion on her face. "Um…_Daddy_? Care to explain?"

Slash burst into laughter, practically rolling on the ground and receiving a few distasteful glances from guests standing nearby.

"Don't worry, it's nothing you need to stress about." Farlo said quickly to Snow. At Snow's raised eyebrows, he blushed and amended, "I-I mean, there's nothing to talk about. I'm…" He looked at Garrett, blinking innocently up at him. Farlo sighed. "I'll talk to you later."

"Oh yes you will, Daddio." Snow said, winking at Farlo playfully.

The rest of the evening was lost in a blur of music, dancing, and eating delicious food, and by the time the garden had quieted it was well past midnight on December 26th. Snow, who wanted to stay in the garden for a little while longer while her friends walked inside, sat looking at the stars, feeling whole again.

She looked up at the full moon, giving it a smile. After a few moments she heard paw-steps trotting in the snow behind her, and she turned around to see Farlo picking his way toward her.

Snow patted the ground next to her, and Farlo walked forward and sat beside her. Snow wrapped her tail around his, this time pressing closer to him as they looked at the moon.

"Merry, Christmas, Farlo." She murmured, not taking her eyes off of the sky.

"Merry Christmas, Snow."


End file.
